I went to the Odeon cinema in Wimbledon to see “I’m Still Here”.
I loved it.
The film is set in 1970s Brazil during the military dictatorship.
The larger-than-life family-man and affable ex-congressman Rubens Paiva simply “vanishes”. Against the subplot of communist-terrorism against the military-rule, Rubens Paiva is implicated.
His wife Eunice is played by the spellbinding Brazilian actress Fernanda Torres. She is incredible. I think it’s hard for any actor to capture vulnerability, helplessness and terror. If you have tears, be prepared to shed a few. Her life is torn-apart. She is devastated and terrified; but, at the same time, she has to be strong for her 5 children.
And, so, how do you raise a family (with some semblance of normality) against the terror of faceless evil-doers in uniform.
The movie is filled with an ominous heavy absence. It also exhibits the psychological toll of not knowing what happened to the “disappeared”.
The bodies of an Israeli baby Kfir Bibas (nine months old when kidnapped), his brother Ariel (4 years old when abducted), mother and elderly gentleman (Odad Lifshitz) were paraded in a ghoulish publicity stunt. Black caskets in front of baying crowds beneath an antisemitic poster of Netanyahu as a vampire.
Palestinian children were cheering and dancing in this depraved ceremony.
These images remind me of the Nazis.
The Palestinians are being conditioned never to view Jews as human beings. All Jews & Israelis - whether soldiers or civilians, little babies, ALL - deserve death.
How is any civilised nation supposed to be deal with this kind of savagery?
What fascinates me is that pro-Israelis (like myself) can admit to the faults on “our side”. Israel and the IDF can say, very loudly, that they don’t want innocent civilians to die. Human life is worth protecting. The pro-Israelis in this conflict feel unease and, even misgivings sometimes, about the toll of devastation inflicted on Gaza.
I don’t know much about this chap other than he directed one of my all-time favourite films: The Elephant Man.
Based on the true story of Joseph Merrick who suffered the most severe deformities. His doctors found it impossible to treat and cure, especially his curved spine enlarged skull.
What is unfathomable was his sweet, gentle and kind soul in the face of such nastiness, cruelty and such backwardness.
It’s incredible to think that the liberation was only 80 years ago.
I hope we never forget.
I’m v. glad that King Charles attended the commemoration.
Unfortunately, there will be detractors and deniers who will argue that the Holocaust remembrance is being overplayed or seek to minimise the uniqueness of Jewish suffering.
It sounded like one of his rally speeches. He is now the president of a nation of Republicans and Democrats. He has to work with the narrow majorities in the House and Senate. Rubbing their defeat in their faces is not presidential.
He should have been more statesman-like, such as thanking his predecessor, in preserving the dignity of the office and traditions.
The notion that we should send a mission to Mars is moronic. His insisting on “taking back” the Panama Canal wasn’t appropriate at all. And, the low point came when he seems to have accused his “enemies” of being complicit in the assassination attempt against him.
At any rate, his critique against the status quo was stinging but also a bit disconcerting.
It is staggering to recall that things like securing the border, deporting criminals, government policy that there are only two genders, and judging people on their merits rather than their race and gender would have been uncontentious, if not trite, in earlier times.
Some good policies were mentioned (such as free speech) and there’s something infectious in his sure-footed optimism about the future he intends to bring about.
Both parties scrounging for “oligarch” money (which the Democrats got more of than Trump). And yet, strangely, Biden - having pardoned his son for crimes yet to be uncovered - plays a pallid parody of Eisenhower’s warning about the MIC.
History will likely be the best judge of these people.
The Fauci pardon, however, is especially bizarre. The evidence is overwhelming about Fauci’s role in funding the virus creation, lying about its origins, orchestrating a cover-up, lying to Congress (infamous Ron Paul exchanges), then pushing the lies about the efficacy of the vaccines to the public. What reason do Democrats have to “protect” him? He was working on behalf of the Republicans. So, why do Democrats need to protect Fauci from investigation by Republicans?
